CHAP. XIV. THE SALOPIAN COFFEE HOUSE. 473 



CHAPTEK XIV. 



MR. TELFORD'S LATER YEARS HIS DEATH AND CHARACTER. 



WHEN Mr. Telford had occasion to visit London on 

 business during the early period of his career, his quar- 

 ters were at the Salopian Coffee House, now the Ship 

 Hotel, at Charing Cross. It is probable that his Shrop- 

 shire connections led him in the first instance to the 

 ' Salopian ; ' but the situation being near to the Houses 

 of Parliament, and in many respects convenient for the 

 purposes of his business, he continued to live there for 

 no less a period than twenty-one years. During that 

 time the Salopian became a favourite resort for engineers ; 

 and not only Telford' s provincial associates, but numerous 

 visitors from abroad (where his works attracted even more 

 attention than they did in England) took up their quar- 

 ters there. Several apartments were specially reserved 

 for Telford' s exclusive use, and he could always readily 

 command any additional accommodation for purposes of 

 business or hospitality. The successive landlords of the 

 Salopian at length came to regard the engineer as a 

 fixture, and even bought and sold him from time to time 

 with the goodwill of the business. When he at length 

 resolved, on the persuasion of his friends, to take a 

 house of his own, and gave notice of his intention 

 of leaving, the landlord, who had but recently entered 

 into possession, almost stood aghast. "What! leave 

 the house ! " said he ; " Why, Sir, I have just paid 

 750/. for you ! " On explanation it appeared that this 

 price had actually been paid by him to the outgoing 

 landlord, on the assumption that Mr. Telford was a 

 fixture of the hotel ; the previous tenant having paid 



